The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments about two federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates on Jan. 7, the court announced Wednesday night.
Vaccination, labor availability ‘critical’ to restoring occupancy, performance: Omega
By
Lois A. Bowers
Nov 08, 2021
The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has helped stem the spread and adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic, but senior living operators continue to battle with increasing costs driven by the scarcity...
CMS issues reg requiring COVID-19 vaccination for long-term care workers
By
Lois A. Bowers
Nov 04, 2021
Long-term care and other healthcare facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs must develop COVID-19 vaccination policies for their workers by Dec. 5, and all eligible workers must...
Reporting COVID vaccination data to CMS would be ‘burdensome,’ ‘redundant’ for assisted living,...
By
Lois A. Bowers
Jul 14, 2021
Requiring assisted living providers to report weekly COVID-19 vaccination data to the federal government would add administrative and cost burdens to operators already challenged by the pandemic and even...
The clock is ticking for a long-term care financing solution
By
Lois A. Bowers
Apr 12, 2021
Will a new report on long-term care financing spur action where others have not? Time will tell. But time is of the essence.
Criminal recoveries for Medicaid fraud in assisted living top $1 million again due to case discovered...
By
Lois A. Bowers
Apr 08, 2021
Fallout from a Medicaid fraud case discovered because of a murder at an assisted living community had an outsized effect on fraud-related criminal monetary recoveries by state Medicaid Fraud Control Units...
HHS: Public health emergency likely to last rest of year
By
Lois A. Bowers
Jan 26, 2021
The federal public health emergency related to the coronavirus pandemic likely will extend through 2021, Acting Health and Human Services Secretary Norris Cochran said Friday in a letter to governors.
Medicaid pays $6.6 billion for HCBS for older adults through Section 1915c waivers
By
Lois A. Bowers
Jan 22, 2021
Expenditures for home- and community-based services for Medicaid-eligible older adults and disabled individuals through Section 1915(c) waivers, used by some assisted living providers and others, topped...
Nov. 18 is new deadline for comments on CMS-proposed quality measures for HCBS
By
Lois A. Bowers
Oct 20, 2020
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has extended the deadline until Nov. 18 for those who would like to provide feedback its proposed national quality and outcomes measures for the Medicaid-funded...
MACPAC: ‘Disturbing’ that most of $15 billion in coronavirus relief for Medicaid providers not released...
By
Lois A. Bowers
Sep 28, 2020
Only $2.2 billion of the $15 billion in coronavirus relief funding announced in June for eligible Medicaid providers, including assisted living operators, had been paid to eligible providers as of Sept....